career vs. life

kevin and i both want the same things. if only life would let us have them. it’s like we’re being held back at the shoulders by all the forces – nothing seems to work in our favor. we’re running at a full sprint but can’t seem to leave the starting line. the way this whole job situation has panned out so far, it’s made us get our priorities in order. it’s not so much about our careers anymore. we both just want to work to live, definitely not live to work. it’s our thinking that your job doesn’t define you – the way you live your life defines you. it’s not going to matter in 50 years whether kevin was the #1 electrical engineer mastermind of some big company or if I’m some big-wig executive. it’ll matter about the choices we’re making now; choices about when to start a family, where to live, how to raise our children, our ability to share God’s blessings in our lives, choices on how to spend/save our money, the kind of people we were. it’s not the job we care about. can’t we both just find jobs that allow us the freedom to pay the bills and still enjoy the fun things in life? we just want to live in a little house (rented or owned, who cares at this point) and start our family. we want to pay the bills and have enough left over to save a little and play a little. it’s all about balance. we want the same chances everybody else has been offered. our futures are so bright it’s burning our eyes…i mean, our futures are so clouded with obstacles we can’t see five feet in front of us. we just hope to make it through the end of the month without being evicted or over-drawing our bank account(s). it’s hard enough to even look forward to the fun things in life, because we don’t have the money to pay for them. we’re tired of needing to ask his parents for money. we’re tired of wondering whether we have the money to fill our gas tanks or only put in $5. we’re tired of thinking of options if things get worse, like food stamps or low-income living. we’re both 25, try to live frugally and basically should have our sh*t together by now. when do we get the chance to be financially independent of his parents, the state or otherwise? a lot of people our age want to mooch off their parents, we’re trying to figure out a way not to. one of the biggest privileges in life (starting a family) is being dangled in front of us on a string…but we can’t seem to run fast enough to reach it.